Julia
julesinlife.bsky.social
Julia
@julesinlife.bsky.social
39 followers 180 following 74 posts
Author, screenwriter, artist and lover of all creative things. Story is the most powerful thing humans have, it has shaped dreams and toppled empires. It unites us in ways that can seem impossible, it will always persist. JuliaMcLarty.substack.com
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Second draft of my first novel is done. I cut a little over 33k words from the first draft and the story is a lot stronger for it. Now to rest for a day or two and find beta readers! #amwriting #writersoftwitter #WritingCommunity
Halfway through my second draft of my 1st novel and it definitely hits different. Going through with a critical eye, for me, takes more mental energy than the fun of the first draft. But I’m still having fun with it so that’s what counts. #amwriting #WritingCommunity
9 days into my novel’s second draft and I have already cut over 12k words including 3 chapters. 46 chapters to go. #amwriting #writingcommunity
That sounds a good approach to give yourself some grace to explore your story more. You got this!
One small detail can make a world feel real. Here’s a worldbuilding tidbit from my WIP: Every kingdom in the world has a drastically different interpretation of the same pantheon.

What’s your favorite little detail you’ve added? #worldbuilding #amwriting #WritingCommunity
My first day of second draft went really well. I managed to trim 550 words and tighten things up. Not going to lie I was really anxious to start this part of the journey, but I feel really good about it. #writingcommunity #amwriting
That sounds like a really good solution!
One thing I have done in my stories is having a core group of characters and then a healthy number of side characters that show up sporadically throughout the story. Another thing that could help is referencing a character without them having to actually appear on the page.
Side characters can steal the show. Who’s your favorite supporting character in fiction? #writingtips #writingcommunity
Naming characters: one part joy, one part imagination, one part existential crisis. How do you pick your names? #WritingCommunity
I love it! Scooby Doo for the win!
Do you remember the first thing you ever wrote?

Mine was a dramatic play about a kid running away from home that was a GT project in 6th grade. It was very cheesy. 😂 #amwriting #writingcommunity
Pitch me your current WIP in one sentence! Let’s hype each other up. 🚀 #WritingCommmunity

Here's mine:
The Chosen one's sidekick grapples with how war has changed her while being tasked to investigate a deadly sickness sweeping across the kingdom.
Corrie never thought she would be in a hospital bed two days before Christmas. Now she has to decide if seeking comfort from her best friend is worth ruining their holiday.
Check out "The Aftermath"
#amwriting #writingprompts
juliamclarty.substack.com/p/the-afterm...
The Aftermath
Writing Exercise 2
juliamclarty.substack.com
Corrie reels from a traumatic event and struggles to hide the truth from her best friend.

My writing exercise “The Aftermath” will go live on my Substack tomorrow at 10am cst.
#amwriting
Writing is hard. Especially when things are chaotic. Publishing is harder. But our words matter. Keep going. 💛 #writerslife #amwriting #writingcommunity
If I had to describe my writing style using 3 movies, they’d be:

Big Fish
10 Items or Less
The Shawshank Redemption

What are yours?

#WritingCommunity
I love making room for fantastical things in my work. I try to leave at least room for ambiguous fantastic elements.
My latest writing exercise is coming in one week on my Substack. Looking forward to hearing what y'all think. #WritingCommunity #amwriting
6/ Use broad and detailed strokes when describing the world. A lot of times it is the smaller details that add that extra layer of reality to the world.
5/ Get an understanding of climate regions and how they interact with each other. While fantasy worlds can be different there should still be rules that govern how the world works when it comes to climate and weather.
4/ Mythology and belief systems show how people view their reality and the world around them. This is something that most readers can understand and provides a level of familiarity to how they see their own world.
3/ Give the residents of the world a rich and nuanced culture. Create diversity and friction between factions and nations. Show the differences in regions in how the people live and love.